This week, Italian market and food hall chain Eataly finally revealed the opening date for its first Canadian location in Toronto. On November 13, the global marketplace-meets-eatery will officially open the doors to its 50,000 sq.-ft. space in the newly renovated Manulife Centre on Bay and Bloor Street.
With more than 40 locations scattered across the world spanning from New York to Tokyo, Canadians have been eagerly awaiting Eataly’s arrival since the company affirmed its intent to join the Canadian market in 2016.
“Toronto has an incredibly strong food culture and is home to the fourth-largest Italian population outside of Italy, making the city a natural fit for a store location,” says Nicola Farinetti, CEO of Eataly North America. “We’re not a food hall or only a market or a restaurant. Eataly is an experience that encourages guests to Eat, Shop and learn authentic Italian food. We invite Canadians to taste our delicious dishes in our restaurants, learn about Italian cuisine, and shop local Canadian and Italian products--at the best value and highest quality--and to recreate the authentic Italian recipes at home. At Eataly Toronto, we will also feature a curated selection of ready-made dishes to take away.”
Eataly Toronto will follow the model of its predecessors, basing its extensive offerings around its guiding pillars of "eat, shop, learn." The Bay and Bloor Street space will extend over three floors and will offer a bustling marketplace with over 10,000 products, seven food counters, four unique sit-down restaurants, an in-house brewery, and an in-house cooking school.
"Positioning Eataly Toronto at Bay and Bloor presents a flagship opportunity to develop and refine store concepts that are truly targeted to the Toronto consumer. Achieving this positioning was a focus for Eataly's exceptionally talented team from the beginning," says Tony Grossi, president of Wittington Properties.
While Eataly has revealed no official plans for further Canadian expansion, Eataly executive president Andrea Guerra has alluded to a second Toronto location in the works, as well as potential moves into Montreal and Vancouver in the not-too-distant future.
Eataly Toronto will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., the four restaurants will be open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and the brewery from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
